Aleksander Barkov slipped past three Bruins defenders to score the crucial goal on Sunday, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 16 saves to lead the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 win over Boston, giving them a 3-1 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
A year after eliminating the Bruins in the first round on their way to the Stanley Cup Final, the Panthers secured their third consecutive victory, putting Boston on the verge of elimination.
Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell also found the net for the Panthers, who fought back from a two-goal deficit to secure the win. With a victory in Game 5 at home on Tuesday, Florida can advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
Despite missing captain Brad Marchand, who leads the team in postseason scoring, Boston took a 2-0 lead with goals from David Pastrnak and Brandon Carlo. Jeremy Swayman made 38 saves for the Bruins.
In the absence of Marchand, Sam Bennett’s disputed goal tied the game 2-2 about four minutes into the third period. After Lundell’s shot was saved by Swayman, Bennett pushed Boston’s Charlie Coyle into the goaltender and then scored.
